Trip report: Southern Africa
OK, so I've had my takeaway and a bottle of Belgian beer. The cats have stopped attention-seeking and the house is quiet because Sally is 20 miles away with an IV antibiotic drip in her arm failing to...
Forum Discussion
Hi everyone. Thanks for all the nice feedback.
bka0721: Hopefully there were enough flowers for you. I can't compete with your beautiful photography though.
Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli: Yes, Sally seems much better now.
Joerg68: I'm glad the vehicle comparisons were interesting - it was a new experience for us camping in this sort of vehicle so I felt it worth sharing with other truck camper owners. Plus, I'm glad we kept you entertained over the weekend.
Diplostrat: It is decades since I last saw Zulu, so I wasn't aware it was filmed in the Drakensberg. I'll have to watch the film again now.
Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli: I was thinking "No, Sally didn't drink from that water - that would be stupid". Then I asked her and she said she had - Doh! It doesn't look like anything else has developed so I guess she got away with it.
RobertRyan: The 4.5 V8 turbo diesel would have been most welcome. However in a way the 4.2 was perfect for a rugged vehicle like this - minimal complexity, very under-stressed, maybe less of a problem when travelling in developed countries like South Africa, but could the simplicity of the engine could be a real advantage in developing countries. Also, I guess it may not be a surprise that bits of it look like bits of Australia - much of it is the same latitude.
OBXCamper: Those guys at Kei Mouth - well, it was a different world. Although he was very proud of the bar his wife wouldn't allow him to run it - they did initially, but found it was more trouble than it was worth because people drank too much and caused problems.
Flaxi: Thanks, and I hope you have managed to sort out a replacement truck engine :(
Silversand: Robertson - the picture of the trucks tipping grapes was taken in Robertson - it was the first place we could smell wine in the air.
DJ: It is sad that when most people get to see Africa on the news it is related to famines, war and disease, because these are the things that make the headlines. We have been amazed by the continent, and it was great going at a time of year when everything is lush and green. However, you have the benefit of living in a country that contains so many beautiful types of terrain from sand desert to snow-capped mountains, and all without crossing a border, struggling with foreign officials, learning another language or getting a passport.
jefe4x4: Glad to see we will soon be enjoying another of your extreme truck camper trip reports - you really push the boundaries of what can be done with a hardside camper. I find that sort of rock crawling difficult in my camper - my truck is narrower than yours so the camper gets thrown from side to side a lot. I notice you now have struts at the front - I hadn't noticed them before. PS, do you have an auto transmission on that truck? My truck is manual and 1st (even in low ratio) is just too fast for rock crawling, and that is 50% of the problem with the camper being thrown around - nice to not have the worry on this trip with the Land Cruiser.
Whazoo: Very generous praise coming from the pen (or rather fingers) of the great Whazoo himself. You still set the standard for trip reports.
RickW: I hope the creepy-crawly picture on page 4 didn't ruin your pizza :B. I do have some video footage, so I'll see if I can edit into something reasonable. If I do I'll post a link on the forum.
c.traveler2: Well, I don't know about Michelangelo - I just try to do my best to capture the sense of being there.
Steve.
bka0721: Hopefully there were enough flowers for you. I can't compete with your beautiful photography though.
Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli: Yes, Sally seems much better now.
Joerg68: I'm glad the vehicle comparisons were interesting - it was a new experience for us camping in this sort of vehicle so I felt it worth sharing with other truck camper owners. Plus, I'm glad we kept you entertained over the weekend.
Diplostrat: It is decades since I last saw Zulu, so I wasn't aware it was filmed in the Drakensberg. I'll have to watch the film again now.
Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli: I was thinking "No, Sally didn't drink from that water - that would be stupid". Then I asked her and she said she had - Doh! It doesn't look like anything else has developed so I guess she got away with it.
RobertRyan: The 4.5 V8 turbo diesel would have been most welcome. However in a way the 4.2 was perfect for a rugged vehicle like this - minimal complexity, very under-stressed, maybe less of a problem when travelling in developed countries like South Africa, but could the simplicity of the engine could be a real advantage in developing countries. Also, I guess it may not be a surprise that bits of it look like bits of Australia - much of it is the same latitude.
OBXCamper: Those guys at Kei Mouth - well, it was a different world. Although he was very proud of the bar his wife wouldn't allow him to run it - they did initially, but found it was more trouble than it was worth because people drank too much and caused problems.
Flaxi: Thanks, and I hope you have managed to sort out a replacement truck engine :(
Silversand: Robertson - the picture of the trucks tipping grapes was taken in Robertson - it was the first place we could smell wine in the air.
DJ: It is sad that when most people get to see Africa on the news it is related to famines, war and disease, because these are the things that make the headlines. We have been amazed by the continent, and it was great going at a time of year when everything is lush and green. However, you have the benefit of living in a country that contains so many beautiful types of terrain from sand desert to snow-capped mountains, and all without crossing a border, struggling with foreign officials, learning another language or getting a passport.
jefe4x4: Glad to see we will soon be enjoying another of your extreme truck camper trip reports - you really push the boundaries of what can be done with a hardside camper. I find that sort of rock crawling difficult in my camper - my truck is narrower than yours so the camper gets thrown from side to side a lot. I notice you now have struts at the front - I hadn't noticed them before. PS, do you have an auto transmission on that truck? My truck is manual and 1st (even in low ratio) is just too fast for rock crawling, and that is 50% of the problem with the camper being thrown around - nice to not have the worry on this trip with the Land Cruiser.
Whazoo: Very generous praise coming from the pen (or rather fingers) of the great Whazoo himself. You still set the standard for trip reports.
RickW: I hope the creepy-crawly picture on page 4 didn't ruin your pizza :B. I do have some video footage, so I'll see if I can edit into something reasonable. If I do I'll post a link on the forum.
c.traveler2: Well, I don't know about Michelangelo - I just try to do my best to capture the sense of being there.
Steve.
